Standing at the Beginning With You
by BerkieLynn
Summary: "Even though it was a short encounter, he can't seem to get her sparkling blue eyes, wavy blonde hair and dazzling smile out of his mind." Kevin Ryan and Jenny Duffy-O'Malley's first date. One shot, complete.


_No one told me I was going to find you_  
_Unexpected, what you did to my heart_  
_When I lost hope, you were there to remind me_  
_This is the start_

_~"At the Beginning," Richard Marx and Donna Lewis_

* * *

No matter how many times Javi asked, there was no way that Kevin could tell him that he couldn't hang out tonight because he had a blind date. A blind date that his cousin set up. Because he can't get his own dates.

Well, no, it's not that he couldn't but he certainly hasn't had time. Being a detective is time consuming and stressful. And while he appreciates that he's been so completely accepted, hasn't had to fight for respect, he feels a duty to his partner and to Beckett to prove to them that their loyalty isn't misplaced.

But that doesn't really leave time for meeting anyone. Which is why he's waiting at the bar of a restaurant that Heather – his cousin and the grand orchestrator of this date – set a reservation for.

But there was that girl last week at Berglin's, Jennifer. She was gorgeous and straight-forward and into him. Until he was a complete idiot and made a fool of himself. He shakes his head as he recalls how he told her, "And you can give me a call if you see any crime out there." Sure, she laughed, but it was definitely a pity laugh. He hasn't even tried to call her because he's still embarrassed.

Even though it was a short encounter, he can't seem to get her sparkling blue eyes, wavy blonde hair and dazzling smile out of his mind. He startles as a bin of dishes clangs behind the bar, blushing as he realizes that he was thinking about another woman just as he's about to be on a date. Should be on the date now, he realizes as he checks his watch.

He turns to look towards the entrance again and can hardly believe it when she breezes through the door. Jennifer. She's just as striking as he remembers, part of her hair pinned back from her face, the rest swinging free against her neck. Her dangling earrings catch the light and reflect in her eyes as she speaks to the hostess. Her head swivels towards the bar and their eyes lock. He's bound in place, can't possibly look away but she turns back to the hostess and smiles, waves a hand in his direction and then makes her way towards him.

He has the grace to remember he's supposed to be on a date any time now but there's no harm in chatting for a minute, right?

She's smiling at him as she approaches and it's different than the one that she gave the hostess. That one was tame and polite, nothing more than a kindness. This one is wide and bright and aimed directly at him. He gladly returns it, doesn't have to force anything into the curve of his mouth it because he can't believe how happy he is to see her.

"You really did make a good choice," she says as way of greeting, her eyes cutting down to his chest for a moment, amusement sparkling in her irises.

He completely forgot that he was wearing the tie. The one that she picked out for him.

"Yeah," he says on a nervous laugh. "It came highly recommended. Seemed rude to turn down expert advice."

She grins wider, completely pleased with herself. "It's nice to see you again." She says it like it's a good bye. "But you seem like you're waiting for someone, so I won't take a lot of your time."

His heart seizes, he doesn't want her to go. He wants to invite her to join him and to say the hell with his date. But she's probably here for a date, too. And he's really not the kind of guy that stands up one date to steal another.

"Good to see you, too," he says, sure that there's more than a little remorse in his voice despite trying not to let it show. Much.

But she must hear it if the small, pressed lip smile she gives in response is any indication. "Have a good night." She turns to leave, her movements slow. Almost deliberately slow.

And then something occurs to him. His date's name is -

"Jenny?" he asks to her retreating back and to his amazement, she turns to face him. "Did you go to college with Heather Ryan?"

Her eyes light up and her lips stretch across her face in delight. "I wondered how long that was going to take you to figure out."

He laughs, loud enough to startle a few nearby patrons and she giggles at him.

She's his date.

* * *

She's perfect. Well, okay, no, not _perfect_ because he is well aware that there is no such thing, he sees the imperfection of humans every day, but she's perfect in her own way. She's bright and witty and easy to talk to, the conversation between them flowing naturally without any uncomfortable pauses. They start with the normal "getting to know you" bits - jobs, families, school – but every topic seems to lead them down a tangential path, each story reminding the other of another story, every story getting them further away from the original topic until they have no idea why they're talking about what superpower they would have and how they would acquire it.

She actually appreciates his goofy sense of humor, how excited he can get about The Lord of the Rings. He knows nothing about fashion but she makes it seem so interesting, makes sense of all of the trends and seasonal colors in a way that he actually understands. She doesn't demean him or talk down to him and she seems genuinely surprised that he actually wants to hear about what she does. (If he's being honest, he's kind of surprised about that too. But she lights up with such joy that he can't help but be enthralled.)

They linger over their dinners; spend more time using their mouths for talking than eating. They order after dinner coffee and split a dessert, using the shared dish as an excuse to lean closer, fingers brushing as they dig out spoonfuls of mousse.

He can't stop smiling but he doesn't even try to because she doesn't seem to be able to stop either.

* * *

He walks her to her door at the end of the night. He could give some bullshit excuse about her safety or being gentlemanly but really, he just wants every last second he can get of her. They're standing outside her apartment too quickly, the night screeching to a halt before he can get his bearings.

But then she smiles at him, a shyness about her as she glances at him through her lashes and oh, he wants to kiss this woman.

He moves slow, gives her enough time to figure out what he's doing but she doesn't back off. He brushes his fingertips over her cheek, slides his palm along the silky skin of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair.

He leans in and she meets him halfway; the kiss sweet and chaste and tentative. His other hand finds her hip and she shifts closer, her hands coming up to frame his waist and then suddenly, it is not tentative. He's not at all sure which of them deepened the kiss but he doesn't dwell on it. Not with Jenny's soft warmth pressed so close to him, the fullness of her lips sliding over his. They ease back together, gentle into lingering touches of lips, more to just maintain the connection than anything.

"Kevin, I had a great time tonight," she whispers, her breath warm against his lips.

"Me too," he breathes.

"But I'm not the kind of girl that invites a guy in on the first date. No matter how good of a date it was." The last part is said on a tease, a playful smile curving the corners of her mouth.

"It's fine, Jenny," he placates but finds that it really is. He certainly wouldn't refuse an invitation from this woman but he wants more than this night with her. He wants other nights, he wants days with her, he wants –

He stops that train of thought right there, tries not to get ahead of himself. He takes a slow breath in and then takes a small step back from her, his hands reluctantly dropping from her.

"This doesn't mean you shouldn't call me though," she says, smoothing her hands down the lapels of his blazer before withdrawing them.

"That's not going to be a problem," he assures her, his earnestness breaking a smile across her face.

She turns and opens the door, turning back to him as she closes it, her lovely face peeking out of the rapidly closing space.

"Good night, Kevin."

"Good night."

And then it's over. But he can't help but hope that it's only the beginning.

* * *

_I'd love to know what you think._

_A/N: I adore the Ryans and hope to write more fic about them. It's difficult because what little information that's out there contradicts itself and then the show contradicts that so most of what I write will be loosely based on canon info and then filled in with my creative license. It's also difficult because I have to try to not base the fictional characters on their real life counterparts. Devers =/= Ryans._

_Thanks to Jo and Brooke for the encouragement and to Dia for the tangential conversation topic._


End file.
